Tauranga Whai 2026 Sal’s NBL Preview

The Northern Group Tauranga Whai 2026 Season Preview

Headline:

The Whai ground opponents down a season ago, but with a refreshed local core they now look to lift their offensive output in 2026.

Quick Facts:

Head Coach: Matt Lacey (3rd season)

Home Venue: Mercury Baypark Arena

2025 Finish: 9-11 (6th), Finals record 1-1 (won elimination final, lost in semis)

Key Returnee: Jayden Bezzant

Key Signing: Reuben Te Rangi

Player to Watch: Taine Murray

Snapshot:

The Northern Group Tauranga Whai head into the 2026 Sal’s NBL season with a roster that has been significantly reshaped, but not stripped of its identity. Last season’s side stayed competitive through a strong defensive base and a hard-playing local core, even as they struggled to consistently generate enough offence. That core now gets a fresh look around it, with experienced new names like Reuben Te Rangi and Taine Murray joining the group, while Australian pair Nick Stoddart and Nic Tata give the Whai a very different feel heading into the new campaign. The challenge now is whether Tauranga can keep the defensive edge that defined much of 2025 while lifting an offence that finished at the bottom of the league in scoring.

Tauranga Whai Roster (new additions in bold):

Nick Stoddart

Taine Murray

Jayden Bezzant

Reuben Te Rangi

Jett Thompson

Nic Tata

Xanda Marsters

Dion Collins

Ky-Mani Kaumoana

Josh Kelly

2025 Whai Stats Snapshot:

Tauranga brings back a small chunk of last season’s production, with Jayden Bezzant, Jett Thompson, Xanda Marsters and Ky-Mani Kaumoana returning from the 2025 squad. Of that group, Bezzant is the headline returner following a season here he was vital off the bench and down the stretch of games, while Xanda Marsters chipped in with solid scoring and shooting from three. The Whai’s top-end 2025 production, however, has largely moved on, including Mojave King, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Chris Jones, Anzac Rissetto, Sean Bairstow and Carter Hopoi.

Team-wise, Tauranga was built on defence more than firepower. The Whai averaged the lowest points total in the league offensively, but also allowed the second-fewest points in the competition. They were solid on the glass and looked after the ball reasonably well, but their shooting percentages and half-court scoring limited their ceiling.

Category | 2025 Team Leader | Top Returning Whai | 2025 Team / League Rank
Scoring | Mojave King, 22.2 ppg | Jayden Bezzant, 8.6 ppg | 81.3 ppg, 11th
Rebounding | Sean Murphy, 7.2 rpg | Jayden Bezzant, 2.4 rpg | 40.8 rpg, 6th
Assists | Sean Bairstow, 4.6 apg | Jayden Bezzant, 1.7 apg | 17.1 apg, 6th
Steals | Sean Bairstow, 1.1 spg | Jayden Bezzant, 1.0 spg | 7.4 spg, 7th
Blocks | Carter Hopoi, 1.4 bpg | Jayden Bezzant, 0.4 bpg | 3.5 bpg, 6th
Field Goal % | Anzac Rissetto, 52% | Jayden Bezzant / Xanda Marsters, 40% | 41%, 11th
3-Point % | Mojave King, 38% | Xanda Marsters, 34% | 30%, 11th
Free Throw % | Xanda Marsters, 100% | Xanda Marsters, 100% | 70%, 7th

Team Stat | 2025 Numbers | League Rank
Scoring offense | 81.27 ppg | 11th
Scoring defense | 83.82 ppg allowed | 2nd
Scoring margin | -2.55 | 8th
Rebounding margin | -2.50 | 7th
Field goal percentage | 41% | 11th
3-point percentage | 30% | 11th
Free throw percentage | 70% | 7th
Assists per game | 17.09 | 6th
Steals per game | 7.36 | 7th
Blocks per game | 3.55 | 6th
Offensive rebounds per game | 10.82 | 3rd
Defensive rebounds per game | 26.14 | 10th
Turnover margin | +1.32 | 4th

Projected Identity:

The 2026 Whai look like a team that wants to keep the hard-nosed, team-first edge that got them into games last season, but with more polish and poise around the perimeter. Tauranga’s 2025 numbers told a pretty clear story. They defended at a high level, rebounded well enough to compete, and created extra chances through offensive boards and positive turnover margin, but they simply did not score efficiently enough often enough, especially from beyond the 3-point line. This year’s roster appears built to change that. Tall Black Reuben Te Rangi brings proven experience and composure, Taine Murray adds size and skill in the backcourt, and Nick Stoddart looks like another lead guard option who can help organise the floor. The question is whether that added offensive talent can come together quickly while maintaining the buy-in and defensive discipline that gave the Whai their best chance to win a year ago.

Key Offseason Moves:

Departed

This is where the scale of the change becomes clear. Mojave King led the Whai in scoring a season ago while Chris Jones added, Anzac Rissetto, Kruz Perrott-Hunt and Carter Hopoi were all major contributors on both sides of the court. The Seans, Bairstow and Murphy, often operated as facilitators and second side scorers while their defense and rebounding were key to the Whai style. That is a massive amount of production to replace, both in terms of on-ball creation and leadership. The positive spin for Tauranga is that the new roster should have a broader spread of responsibility, but there is no getting around how much top-end output has walked out the door.

Arrived

Reuben Te Rangi is the headline local addition. He gives Tauranga an experienced, battle-tested wing with a proven pedigree and the ability to stabilise a younger group. Taine Murray is another significant arrival and should help address some of the scoring and size questions in the backcourt in a season that he will look to prove his bonafides as a number 1 option. Australian imports Nick Stoddart and Nic Tata give the Whai fresh import pieces to build around inside and out but both will need to produce consistently and at a high level. There are a few local spots left to fill, but recent signees Dion Collins and Josh Kelly currently round out a roster that looks a bit more balanced across positions than it did late last season.

Returning

Jayden Bezzant leads the returning group after a solid 2025 season in which he averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 33 percent from three. Xanda Marsters also showed promise with 5.7 points per game and perfect work at the line, while Jett Thompson and Ky-Mani Kaumoana give the Whai some continuity from the 2025 squad. The returning core does not bring back a huge slice of last season’s production, but it does give Tauranga a handful of players who understand the environment and can fit around the new arrivals.

X-Factors:

Reuben Te Rangi

Te Rangi feels like the piece that could bring everything together. Tauranga needed more experience, more calm, and more reliable shooting on the wing, and he ticks all three boxes. His ability to play multiple roles should make life easier for everyone around him while his defensive prowess slots right into Coach Lacey’s preferred style of play.

Taine Murray

Murray adds real intrigue coming off of his first ANBL season with the Brisbane Bullets, and he should be looking for an opportunity to flex his capabilities on both ends of the court. He gives the Whai size in the backcourt and the kind of positional flexibility that can unlock different lineup looks on both ends of the court. If he settles into his role quickly, he could end up as the most important offensive additions on the roster.

Nic Tata

The 6’10” Tata takes over in the post and will be expected to carry the majority of the interior load. He has built a reputation in Australia’s NBL1 as a strong finisher on the interior who plays above the rim, and brings those same skills to the defensive end as a shot blocker. For the Whai to reach their ceiling, he will need to be a dominant board presence who scores efficiently when given the opportunity.

Biggest Question:

This was the question a year ago and, in a slightly different form, it remains the question now. Tauranga defended well enough in 2025 to be a genuine nuisance, finishing 2nd in scoring defence, but their offence was the league’s least productive. The roster reshuffle clearly aims to address that problem, and on paper it should. But offensive cohesion takes time, especially when the hierarchy of roles is yet to be established. If the Whai can maintain their defensive identity while becoming even an average offensive team, they will put themselves right in the mix for the postseason once again. If not, they may again find themselves competitive without quite having enough scoring punch to break into the top six.

What Success Looks Like:

Success for Tauranga in 2026 looks like bringing back last year’s defensive foundation while lifting the offensive output and efficiency to become a more complete team. The Whai do not need to become the top offence in the league to be successful, but they do need to score with more consistency to reduce the pressure on their defence to be near-perfect every night. If the new pieces land, the returning group grows into bigger roles, and the offensive floor rises, this is a team that should absolutely believe it can push deeper into the postseason picture than their semi-final finish a season ago.

Final Word:

The Whai head into 2026 with a very different roster, but a very familiar challenge. The defensive habits and team-first edge that Coach Matt Lacey instilled last season should give them a platform to build from, and the new additions give them reason to believe the offence can improve. If that balance is found, Tauranga will be much more than a tough out, they will be a genuine top four threat.